Rotary file



Sept. 12, 1961 M. w. JOYCE 2,999,502

ROTARY FILE Filed July 18, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 11V VENT'OR Maun'ce Widoyce ATTORNEY.

WWW/1 Sept. 12, 1961 M. w. JOYCE 2,999,502

ROTARY FILE Filed July 18, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR Mdurjce Wrfoyce ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,999,502 ROTARY FILE Maurice W. Joyce, 142 Boardman Road, Youngstown 12, Ohio Filed July 18, 1958, Ser. No. 749,434 1 Claim. (Cl. 129-16) a horizontally arranged rotary filing device in which units are provided with bars for receiving punched cards and holding them in open book like relation.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a horizontal rotary file which is compact, light in weight and may be used on a desk or counter and easily moved from place to place.

A still further object of the invention. is the provision of a horizontal rotary file having paper holding units detachably secured thereto and which card holding units may be removed and used independently thereof.

The rotary file disclosed herein comprises a simple and efiicient device having several units for holding a plurality of punched cards or the like in readily accessible open book like relation and arranged so that one or more groups of punched cards may be mounted on each of the units g of the file. Theseveral units of the tile are in turn detachably mounted on a rotatable support and are thereby capable of being revolved to convenient position and they may be detached therefrom and removed to a remote location while still retainingthe cards in the unit in desirable open' bookrlike relation to one another. The rotary file is relatively small in size, light in weight and therefore readily portable, thus facilitating the use of the records kept therein by more than one person or at various locations.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the rotary file with one of the three card holding units thereof detached therefrom.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of one of the card holding units shown in FIGURE 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken from the left side of FIG. 2.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section through a portion of the rotary file shown in FIGURE 1 with parts in cross section and parts cut away.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the main body portion of the rotary file shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a side view thereof.

FIGURE 7 is an exploded view of the parts making up the main body member of the file shown in FIGURES 5 and 6.

FIGURE 8 is a side view of one of the units of the rotary file mounted on a wall bracket.

By referring to the drawings and FIGURE 1 in particular it will be seen that a rotary file has been disclosed which comprises a base member 10 which rotatably supports a three sided main body member 11 which main v ice body member 11 includes a bottom 12 and a top 13. A vertically positioned shaft 14 having an annular flange 15 is secured to the base 10, with a disc 16 therebetween, by a plurality of fasteners 17 as best shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawings. The bottom 12 of the main body member 11 has a pair of oppositely disposed collars 18-18 secured by fasteners to its upper and lower surfaces about an opening centrally therein and positioned for registry over the vertical shaft 14 so as to form a bearing therearound. A portion of the lowermost one of the collars 18 rests on the flange 15. The shaft 14 has a threaded opening in its uppermost end and a cap 19 is positioned over-the uppermost collar 18 and secured to the shaft 14 by a bolt 20.

It will thus be seen that the main body member 11 is firmly and substantially mounted for rotation with respect to the base 10. The top 13 of the main body member 11 is a separate piece having several depending clips 13A around its edge frictionally engaged in the main body 11 as best seen in FIGURE 4 of the drawings.

By referring now to FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 of the draw ings it will be seen that the main body member 11 is formed of a triangular bottom 12 having three upstanding rectangular sides each of which is provided with outwardly curving end extensions 21-21 and the upper longitudinal edge of each of which is provided with an angularly disposed outwardly and upwardly extending flange 22 the edge of which is arcuately shaped. The vertical end portions of the rectangular sections of the main body 11 are secured to. one another inwardly of the curving end extensions so that the same forms a durable rigid member capable of receiving a plurality of punched card holding units.

By referring now toFIGURES 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings it will be seen that each of the three punched card holding unit s shown comprises an arcuate shaped rectangular body member 23 having upturned angularly disposed end panels'24-24 on its opposite ends each of which are in turn provided with'handles 25-25 on their outer sides. The arcuate shaped rectangular body members 23 are flanged rearwardly at their lower front and upper back edges as at 26 and 27. The flanges 27 follow the arcuate shape of the rectangular body member 23 and are thereby capable of registry over the outurned angularly disposed flanges 22 of the main body member 11.. Each of the punched card holder units is also provided with a pair of triangularly shaped legs 28-28 which are secured to the body member 23 by a plurality of fasteners 29-29. The overlapping portions of the legs 28-28 and the end panels 24-24 are provided with registering openings 30-30 in which the ends of a plurality of arcuately shaped rods 31-31 are positioned and secured in a removable manner. Cards, not shown, having punched openings adjacent their left hand edges may be engaged upon pairs of the arcuate rods 31-31 and thereby be held like pages in an open book between the end panels 24- 24 of the punched card holder units.

Still referring to FIGURES l, 2 and 3 it will be seen that the bottom horizontal edges of the triangular legs 28 are flanged inwardly and upwardly as at 32-32 (see FIG- URE 3) to form a channel like structure on the lower edge of each of the legs 28 so that each of the punched card holder units may be removed from its normal position on the main body member 11 and positioned on a supporting surface, such as a desk, where it will be held in tilted relation with respect thereto. It will be understood that while the form of the invention chosen for illustration provides for the mounting of three of the punched card holder units thereon, larger and smaller devices may be formed carrying two of the punched card holder units or more than three of the punched card holder units if desired. In order that the cards held in each of the punched tioned. It will be observed that the Post 33 and mountingmember 35 will revolve withrthe, rotary file when the same is turned.

' It; will occur to those skilled in the that the iudividu, ally mounted punched card holding units may be advantageously removed from the rotary file. assembly and, positioned as one of them is shown in FIGURE land it will be, seen by referring to FIGURE 8 that one. of the units may be mounted on a wall support bracket 37 if desired thereby rendering the rotary file capable of use both as a rotary assembly of units or a plurality of individual punched card holding units.

It will be seen that when one of the punched card holdingunits is moved to the rotary file it will, engage and be guided by the outwardly curved eXtensiQns 21-21 on the main body member 11 and that upon being so. engaged will need only be lowered into the position on one of the angularly disposed flanges 22 on the main body member '11 to become engaged thereon and thereby secured. thereto.

it will also be seen that the base is suflicieutly large to hold the rotary file in proper working position with one or more of the punched card holding units removed therefrom or when they are all installed'thereon It will thus be seen that the rotary file disclosed herein meets the several objects of the, inven ion and, having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

, A rotary card file comprising a base means, a substantially vertically extending shaft supported by said base means, a multi-sided main body means rotatably support-ted by said shaft, the sides of said main body means being n rmally substantially vertically disposed, each Qf the sides of said main body means, including an upper extension at the upper longitudinal edge thereof, each of said upper extensions being angularly disposed outwardly and upwardly with respect to the side and having an arcuate outer edge, each of said sides including an end extension at each end thereof, a card holding unit for each of said sides, each of said units including a rectangular body member including an arcuate upper surface and an arcuate under surface, the under surfaces of each of said body members being. complementary to the arcuate upper edges of said upper extensions, means adjacent said upper surface of each of said units for holding cards on the units, each of said units including a pair of end panels, said end panels extending from the opposite end edges of the rectangular body member of the associated unit upwardly and outwardly from, the upper surface thereof, each of said rectangular body members including a flange at the upper back edge thereof and extending at an angle with respect to said upper surface, each of said last-mentioned'fianges having an arcuate outer edge of similar configuration to the under surface of the associated body member, said flange on each-of saidunits engaging and overlying one of said upper extensions to support each unit adjacent one of said sides each of said units being provided with a pair of substantially triangular legs depending from the under surface of the associated body member at the opposite end edges of the body member, each of said legs including a normally vertically disposed edge engaging the adjacent side of the main body means and being at an angle to the end edges of the associated rectangular body member whereby the upper surfaces of the units are disposed at an acute angle to the adjacent sides of the main body means, each of said legs also including a bottom edge for supporting the units on a supporting surface, the pair of legs on each unit being adapted to engage the endrextensi'ons formed on'the sides of said main body means for retaining, each unit in. operative position.

References Cited in'the file ofthis, patent UNITED STATES. PATENTS 2,340,862 Bruen Feb. 8, 1944 2,472,567 Bruen Iune 7, 1949 2,493,538 Karns Jan. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 917,301 France -...--l Sept. 9, 1946 

